Legoland on Track
I paid a visit to Legoland Florida yesterday and was treated to a helicopter ride to look over what’s happening on the construction site. Progress is slow but sure at this stage but I’m delighted to be able to confirm that all is on track for an opening sometime in October. I was also able to have a chat with Legoland’s General Manager Adrian Jones at the construction site and he reported that the infrastructure has almost been finished and now they were starting to really build things, put in rides and redo existing buildings.
Aerial view of Legoland Florida
Adrian Jones (left) - General Manager Legoland Florida & Nigel Worrall
The most visible construction involves the castle, which will double as a loading station for the new Dragon Coaster ride. Its distinctive top can be seen from outside the park gates and the Triple Hurricane wooden coaster will become Coastersaurus. Before Legoland’s 50 rides and attractions could be built, systems such as drainage and sewage had to be addressed. “A lot of the core infrastructure was just too old and it would not have kept up with a brand-new, state-of-the-art park” said Adrian.
The 150-acre resort will feature attractions designed primarily for children aged 2 to 12, with mild roller coasters, car and boat attractions, Lego-building areas, a ski stunt show and small-scale versions of cities made of Lego blocks. While the scenery is dominated by dirt and concrete at the moment it won’t be long before you’ll see the start of the Lego veneer. Come July a lot of the rides will be in place and they’re also hoping to have a large part of the Miniland USA area, complete with the state of Florida in miniature as well as mini cities of Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and New York City. Miniland USA will also feature Florida landmarks, including the Daytona International Speedway and Kennedy Space Center.
The park is located in Winter Haven and is approximately a 40 minute drive from most of Florida Leisure’s vacation homes. It’s a very easy drive and the park is going to be a much gentler pace than a typical trip to Disney or Universal. Legoland is offering a discounted annual pass for $99 and that ticket will be good from when the park opens and through the end of 2012 but purchases have to be made by April 30 at Legoland.com. Sales have been going so well that the the annual-pass price will go up to $159 for adults and $129 for children ages 3-12 after that date so you need to act quickly. Here’s the video of yesterday’s visit…
